Ch.2 Pragmatics

1
Ch.2 Pragmatics

• Introduction to English Linguistics
• Jungtae Kim, Ph.D.
• 2008.4.3

2
Pragmatics

• The study of how language is used to communicate
  within its situational context.
• See the FIVE examples in p. 9
• Implying the information not actually stated.
• We can DO things by uttering sentences.
• The nature of the participants in a verbal
  exchange can determine the effect of what is
  actually said.
• A correct answer to a question is not necessarily
  appropriate.
• Speakers dont always mean exactly what they say.

3
Implicature

• an implied statement
• an utterance can imply a proposition that is not
  part of the utterance and that does not follow as
  a necessary consequence of the utterance.
• Ex. I guess Id better hid the liquor.
• THREE points
• The implicature is not part of Marys utterance.
• Not follow as a necessary consequence of Marys
  utterance.
• Possible to raise more than one implicature or
  different implicatures if uttered in different
  contexts.

4
Conversational Maxims

• Maxim of Quantity
• Each participants contribution to a conversation
  should be no more or less informative than
  required.
• E.g., what are you reading? - A book.
• Maxim of Quality
• Each participants contribution should be
  truthful and based on sufficient evidence.
• Renos the capital of Nevada.
• - Yeah, and Londons the capital of New Jersey.

5

• Maxim of Relation
• Each participants contribution should be
  relevant to the subject of the conversation.
• e.g., What time is it? Well, the papers
  already come.
• Maxim of Manner
• Each participants contribution should be
  expressed in a reasonably clear fashion.
• Not be vague, ambiquous, excessively wordy
• e.g., Lets stop and get something to eat.
  Okay, but not M-c-D-o-n-a-l-d-s.

6
Speech Acts

• An utterance can be used to perform an act. DO -
  SAY
• Locutionary Act The act of saying something.
• SAY, the act of using a referring expression
  (e.g., noun phrase)
• A predicating expression (e.g., a verb phrase) to
  express a proposition
• e.g., You must stop smoking. ? You the
  refferring expression, stop smoking the
  predicating expression
• Illocutionary Act What the speaker does in
  uttering a sentence. Stating, requesting,
  questioning, promising, apologizing, appointing,
  ordering illocutionary force of the utterance

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Classification of Illocutionary Acts

• John Searle (1976)
• Representative
• An utterance used to describe some state of
  affairs
• e.g., I have five toes on my right foot.
• Directive
• Try to get the hearer to do something
• e.g., Shut the door.
• Question
• To get the hearer to provide information
• e.g., who won the 2000 presidential election?

8

• Commissive
• To commit the speaker to do something
• e.g., I will meet you at the library at 10 pm.
• Expressive
• To express the emotional state of the speaker
• e.g., Im sorry for calling you a dweeb.
• Declaration
• To change the status of some entity
• e.g., Youre out. an umpire at a game

9
Felicity Conditions

• Context, valid, appropriate intention
• e.g., I promise Ill meet you at the movies at
  8pm. plan to be home watching TV at that time.
  not valid
• See p. 15
• Representatives assertation/lie
• Directives requrest/order
• Commissives promise/threat

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Explicit vs. Nonexplicit Illocutionary Acts

• Naming the illocutionary force of that verb
  Performative verbs
• See p. 16-17
• In order for a performative verb to have its
  performative sense
• Be positive
• Be present tense
• Have a first person agent
• Referring to a specific event
• Performative verbs vs. nonperformative verbs
• Voluntary act, with words, can be used with
  hereby

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• Explicit performative vs. nonexplicit
  performative
• See p. 18

12
Direct vs. Indirect Illocutionary Acts

• e.g., Bring my coat. Vs. Would you bring me my
  coat?
• See utterances in p. 19
• Indirect Illocutionary Acts.
• The syntactic form of the utterance does not
  match the illocutionary force of the utterance
• See utterances in p. 19-20

13

• See the summary in p. 20
• Illocuationary act
• Explicit
• Nonexplicit
• Direct
• indirect

14
Expressed vs. implied Locutionary Acts

• E.g.,
• Explicit I promise Ill come to your birthday
  party.
• Nonexplicit Ill come to your birthday party.
• The propositional content
• expressed if the utterance actually expresses the
  propositional content of the illocutionary act
  involved.
• e.g., I warn you to stop smoking
• Implied if the utterance does not express the
  propositional content of the illocutionary act
  involved.
• e.g., I warn you that cigarette smoking is
  dangerous.

15

• Precondition for the proposition
• E.g., Do you have a watch? Vs. do you have the
  time?
• The batterys dead. Vs. The car wont
  start.
• Do you have a watch?
• See the table in p. 22
• Directives vs. implied locutionary acts
• See the utterances in p. 22

16
Literal vs. Nonliterary Acts

• Literal locutionary act
• e.g., Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your
  health.
• Nonliterary locutionary act
• e.g., Smoking is glamorous.
• I could eat a horse.
• I guess it would kill you to turn down that
  radio.
• Please pick on someone your own size.
• Flouting Grices Maxim of Quality blatantly
  false under the circumstances, sarcasm
• e.g., If you want your wheel clamped, by all
  means park here.

17
Overview of Speech Act Theory

• See the utterances in p. 25